Commission proposes Flagler County slow-speed zones

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Wednesday

Jul 7, 2010 at 12:01 AMAug 15, 2012 at 12:03 PM

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has proposed some slow-speed minimum wake zones to protect manatees in parts of the Intracoastal Waterway in Flagler County. County commissioners appointed a 10-member committee, which has until July 23 to comment on the proposals before the issue goes back to the wildlife commission for a decision expected next year.

The committee next meets at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Emergency Operations Center near the Government Services Building in Bunnell.

Here's a summary of the wildlife commission's recommendations and how the committee stands so far based on its own polling:

A warm season (April through October ) slow-speed minimum wake zone from just north of the central Palm Coast residential canal to about 300 feet south of the Hammock Dunes bridge, a distance of about 1.5 miles. The committee voted 8-2 to shorten by a half-mile the zone, in which three manatees were killed by watercraft, one each in 1990, 1995 and 1998.

A warm season zone starting just north of the Silver Lake Marina and extending 1.2 miles to the south lip of the Lehigh Canal. Only three committee members voted for the zone -- where one manatee death has been blamed on a boat in 2006 -- while seven voted against it.

A 1.5-mile-long warm season zone starting at the south lip of the Lehigh Canal to about 300 feet south of State Road 100 bridge. No manatees found to have been killed by watercraft in this area. Three people voted for the zone while four voted against it. Seven people voted to modify the proposal to include a minimum wake zone only outside the channel.

A warm season zone starting at the Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area boat launch and extending about 1.8 miles north. Eight members agreed that the zone was needed while two voted against it. Nine manatees have been killed by boats there with seven of the deaths since 2000.

Changing an existing zone from the Volusia County line to Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area so that it would be in effect only in the warm season. The zone is currently slow speed outside the channel and 30 mph in the channel during daylight and 25 mph in the channel at night. Eight members voted against the proposal.

A majority of committee members have recommended that in all cases in Flagler County the speed restrictions be in effect only from May to July to reflect what it said was the peak manatee traffic in the area.

-- Frank Fernandez

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